Academic Continuity Guide

Before a Disruption

The most important thing you can do is prepare before an outage happens. Here are areas where you can take action today:

Campus Notifications

Ensure you and your students can receive notifications from UM's Emergency Notification Network.

Alternate Communication Plan

Decide on a backup communication plan. Share it with students at the start of the semester and include it in the course syllabus. Options include Teams or email if Canvas is unavailable.

Class Details

Export your class roster, including names and email addresses, from CaneLink or the Canvas Roster report, and keep a local copy.
Consider using the Microsoft Sync integration for your course, which creates a team with your class roster in Microsoft Teams.

Course Content and Work

Take the following steps to help ensure course content remains available during a Canvas, internet, or network outage:

Export and back up current course materials, such as slides, gradebooks, and recorded lectures, in Box, OneDrive, or Teams, and on a local device.
Export class gradebooks periodically, not only at the end of the term.
Ensure the Offline Course setting is enabled so you and your students can export a read-only HTML version of current Canvas modules to a local device.
Have alternate ways to provide and accept assignments and assessments.
Encourage students to install the Canvas mobile app for iOS or Android so they can download and access course content offline.
If you use Google Workspace products, review how to access Google Drive files offline.

Supported Tools

Familiarize yourself with the digital tools available on Canvas that support online teaching, assessment, and collaboration.

During a Disruption

A disruptive event may be stressful. The following practices can help you manage your course:

Watch for official communications from UM and your school or college before messaging your class broadly.

If you suspect a Canvas outage, check the UM ITS Alert page and Instructure status page to determine whether the issue is campus-wide.

If Canvas is unavailable, contact students using your exported roster and backup communication channel. Use BCC when emailing a full class.

Use supported platforms independent of Canvas, including Zoom, Teams, and Kaltura.

Share materials and collect student work through Box, OneDrive, Teams, or SharePoint.

Extend deadlines or offer a comparable alternate assessment format, such as Microsoft Forms, Google Forms, Qualtrics, or paper, for an exam interrupted by an outage.

Record virtual class sessions and upload the recordings to Canvas or share them using a supported file-sharing platform.

Remain flexible and adaptable. Areas may regain power at different times, and students may not have equal internet access.

Remote Teaching FAQs

How do I share class materials with students?

Course content, including the syllabus and presentations, can be shared through Canvas.

Use the Canvas Syllabus page to upload, create, or format your syllabus.
Use Canvas Modules to organize Pages, Files, Assignments, Quizzes, Discussions, multimedia, and external links by week, unit, topic, or another course structure.

Should I record my class sessions?

Recording is recommended because it provides another way to access a class session and can serve as a resource for course expectations, policies, and introductions.

Tell students at the beginning of class if the session will be recorded. Review the FERPA recording and student privacy guidance.
Share session recordings with students in Canvas.
If recording could make students uncomfortable discussing sensitive topics, disable recording so it does not compromise the learning experience.

How do I ensure students feel involved and engaged in an online classroom?

In a remote environment, students can sometimes feel isolated or less involved. Consider the following ways to create opportunities for students to engage with you and one another:

Allocate class time for students to check in with you and their peers. Consider breakout rooms for reflection or informal social time before class.
Use Zoom features such as Raise Hand, nonverbal feedback, and polling.
Value authentic participation over webcam use. Some students may disable video to conserve limited bandwidth.
Before ending class, ask whether students want to stay to ask questions. Turn off the recording before continuing.

How do I encourage collaboration among students in an online classroom?

Teaching remotely creates unique challenges and opportunities for assigning group work and facilitating collaboration.

Create student groups and Group Sets through the People page in Canvas. You can also create group discussions.
Use Zoom Breakout Rooms for informal group work and discussion.
Students can collaborate asynchronously in Canvas or Google Docs, or meet live in their own Zoom rooms.
Students can share work and notes using Lucid, Microsoft Whiteboard, Office for the Web, or Google Drive.

How do I share board work or handwriting during an online class session?

If you rely heavily on writing out work on a board, such as math or science problems or sentence diagramming, consider using the following collaborative tools:

Use the Zoom whiteboard or annotation tools.
Use the Lucid Visual Collaboration Suite for shared brainstorming, diagramming, and real-time collaboration.
Review the guide for how to demonstrate math, diagrams, and graphs remotely.

How do I accommodate students with disabilities in an online classroom?

Some students may require accommodations for tests or other aspects of their remote learning experience, such as extended time.

Work with the Office of Disability Services at disabilityservices@miami.edu and review the Camner Center accommodations guidance and online accommodation information.
Zoom Cloud Recordings can provide machine-generated audio transcripts. Additional live transcription guidance is also available.
Google Slides and PowerPoint provide real-time captioning features.

Academic Continuity Guide

Before a Disruption

Campus Notifications

Alternate Communication Plan

Class Details

Course Content and Work

Supported Tools

During a Disruption

Remote Teaching FAQs

How do I share class materials with students?

Should I record my class sessions?

How do I ensure students feel involved and engaged in an online classroom?

How do I encourage collaboration among students in an online classroom?

How do I share board work or handwriting during an online class session?

How do I accommodate students with disabilities in an online classroom?

Additional Resources

Canvas Guides

Zoom Guides

Online University Resources

Technical Support for Faculty

Academic Technologies

Resources

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